Vlad and Henry go Shopping
by Little Stone
Summary: Set after Tenth Grade Bleeds, this is a spoiler warning for those who have not finished this book. Vlad gets a new drudge and D'Ablo has a new job.


I thought of this after reading 10 Grade Bleeds. All the characters belong to Heather Brewer. Enjoy!

**Going Shopping with Vlad and Henry**

Vlad and Henry were walking to the grocery store to pick up some cheese for Nelly. "Come along, drudge," Vlad said.

"You don't have to order me around," whined Henry. "I'm your friend. I'm already halfway to the store. You know what? I'm turning around and going home!" As soon as Henry said that, he started to choke and foam at the mouth. "On second thought," he gasped, "Let's check out the chocolate isles!"

The boys were almost to the store when they saw Principle Snelgrove. "Why hello, young miscreants. What are you doing here? Pickpocketing?"

"No, sir," said Vlad. "We came here to buy cheese."

Snelgrove smiled, showing his rodentlike teeth. "You boys like cheese?" he said. "Maybe I was wrong about you after all."

Encouraged, Vlad said, "We're buying Swiss cheese."

"You have exquisite taste. That is my favorite cheese."

"Isn't that the one with the holes in it?" Henry asked.

By now they were almost across the store. Snelgrove frowned. "No, boy. It is more than that. It is famous for its cheesy flavor, and it's the cheese most favored by rats. In fact, they turn violent if they cannot buy this most exquisite delicacy."

"But rats don't-" Henry started.

They all saw the last piece of Swiss cheese at the same time. "Hold him, drudge!" Vlad commanded Henry.

While Henry, against his will and drooling again, held Snelgrove, who was drooling and biting Henry, Vlad used his vampiric speed to snatch the cheese. "I've got it!" he yelled.

"Got what?" asked a sinister voice from the shadows. And there, in a grocery boy's uniform and looking very menacing with his missing hand, was D'Ablo.

"D'Ablo! What are you doing here?" gasped Vlad, almost dropping his cheese.

D'Ablo scowled. "Since you took off my hand, boy, only this place would hire me. And they only did it to get government funding for hiring someone disabled."

Vlad thought of a plan. He couldn't fight D'Ablo without harming the cheese. He came up to Snelgrove, who was still biting Henry and making distressed rat noises. Vlad bit him and said the magic words. "Alakazam! How do you do? I used to have one drudge and now I have two!" He released Snelgrove. "Drudge, hold my cheese while I fight D'Ablo, and don't eat it." He gave Snelgrove the cheese.

Henry lunged at him. "Must hold cheese for master," he said.

Snelgrove headbutted Henry. "Must hold cheese for master," he said.

Meanwhile, Vlad confronted D'Ablo. "Why do you always have to follow me?"

"Look, boy. I got a job here and you just barged in and decided to fight me," said the former Elysian Council President.

"No, you lured me here and you're going to try to stuff me in the meat freezer, as per my dream."

D'Ablo laughed. "No, boy. I stuffed Otis in the meat freezer."

Vlad started to curse him out, but two shapes appeared behind him. "Ignatius? Jasik? I thought you guys were dead," he said.

"They are, boy. Can't you tell that the ones holding your arms behind you are zombies?" D'Ablo said.

"Mom! Dad! Help! I always told you zombies were real!" The zombies dragged Vlad into the store's backroom, where a full-length mirror stood. "Mom! Dad!" he shouted. "You're alive!"

D'Ablo smacked his forehead and groaned. "I only brought them so I can return them to dust in front of your eyes. Now, for our surprise guest," he said opening the freezer to reveal Meredith. "Oops! Just a snack for later." He closed the door and opened the other freezer. Otis jumped out. "I knew I shouldn't have listed when he told me to pull the 'plug' thingy," D'Ablo muttered.

Vikas came out of the backroom. "I got a job at the store too! At the meat counter!" he said, flipping the light switch. Vlad's parents crumbled into dust, unnoticed by everyone.

As Vikas and Otis chased D'Ablo away, Vlad opened the freezer with Meredith inside. She was alive but unconscious. "I'll eat – I mean talk to you later," he said, leaving her on meat counter.

He went back to Henry and Snelgrove. Snelgrove was black and blue, and Henry had bite marks. "All right, boys, give the cheese back to me," he said.

"I'll never forgive you," said Henry.

Snelgrove winced. "Must have been another cheese-induced hallucination," he muttered, scurrying towards the exit, his fingernails tapping on the floor.

On the way home, Henry grouched, "So much trouble for one piece of cheese."

Just then, Vlad heard Vikas's voice in his head. _Thanks for the snack, Vlad!_

The next day, Vlad was taken to the police station for questioning. Meredith, as it had turned out, had gone missing.

Hope you enjoyed! Please send in suggestions for another story! I have all summer to write, type, and upload.  
-Little Stone


End file.
